Picture
by Goodbyecruelworld
Summary: Two lost souls that had turned their backs on fate face the consequences. Their names are never spoken, but it isn't necessary. You and I know who they are...


_Livin' my life in a slow hell  
Different girl every night at the hotel  
I ain't seen the sun shine in three damn days  
Been fuelin' up on cocaine and whisky  
Wish I had a good girl to miss me  
Lord I wonder if I'll ever change my ways_

He laid back with a sigh and wrapped his arm around the woman next to him. Her name didn't matter at this point. The deed was done and no doubt she'd be gone by morning. He rubbed his nose and looked around the darkened room. There was dirty laundry and empty liquor bottles scattered across the floor.

After no time at all, the drunken blonde was fast asleep and snoring like no one's business. He gently moved out from under her sleeping form and stood up. He picked up a pair of jeans, sniffed them, and shrugged them on. He walked over to a chair and sat down quietly, not wanting to wake the woman in his bed. He smirked at her, remembering how this had occured. She was skeptical at first, seeing as how he was a chipmunk. Afterwards, however, she told him that _she_ should've paid _him_. Of course she never did.

He looked at the clock. It was already two in the morning. He picked his wallet up off of the glass coffee table and thumbed through it, searching for that expensive white powder that got him through the day. Instead he found a picture. A picture of a girl he had wanted all his life. Of course, like everything else that was good in his life, he let her slip away.

_I put your picture away  
Sat down and cried today  
I can't look at you while I'm lyin' next to her  
I put your picture away, sat down and cried today  
I can't look at you, while I'm lyin next to her  
_

He carried the picture with him and slipped back into bed, his jeans still on. Each time he looked at her face, he felt a pang of remorse in his heart. He slung his legs over the side of the bed and put the picture face down on the dresser when the pain became too much to bear. He hid his face in his palms and shook with quiet sobs. It was all gone. His friends, his family, his career, his love.

_I called you last night in the hotel  
Everyone knows but they wont tell  
But their half hearted smiles tell me  
Somethin' just ain't right  
I been waitin' on you for a long time  
Fuelin' up on heartaches and cheap wine  
I ain't heard from you in three damn nights_

"You comin' back, babe?" A groggy voice asked.

"Yeah!" She called back, slipping into an oversized t-shirt. She picked up the phone and dialed that all too familiar number. She heard it ring several times before she heard a voice telling her to leave a message after the beep. She sighed before hanging up. The way her friends had looked at her yesterday made her worry. It was like they were keeping a secret from her.

She walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, hearing the clanging of glass bottles. She took one out and uncorked it. She didn't even waste time looking for a glass. She just took a gulp right out of the bottle before heading towards the bedroom. The alcohol numbed the pain, but didn't make it go away.

She stopped in front of her book case and a particular picture frame caught her eye. It was the boy she had given up on a few nights ago. It was that boy that she knew she couldn't live without no matter how hard she tried. She picked up the frame and carried it with her.

_I put your picture away  
I wonder where you been  
I can't look at you while I'm lyin' next to him  
I put your picture away  
I wonder where you been  
I can't look at you while I'm lyin' next to him_

She slipped back under the covers, careful not to drop the bottle or the photo. She felt a warm arm wrap around her waist and pull her closer. She took one last glance at those beautiful blue eyes before dropping the picture all together. She heard the frame crack and couldn't help but imagine that her heart was in a similar condition.

_I saw ya yesterday with an old friend  
It was the same ole same "how have you been"  
__Since you been gone my worlds been dark & grey  
You reminded me of brighter days  
I hoped you were comin' home to stay  
_

He froze in his tracks when he saw that sea of auburn curls. He could tell she had seen him too, for her eyes met his in an instant.

"Dude, are you alright?" His friend asked. He nodded and walked towards her. His friend, having nothing better to do, followed.

"Hi." He breathed.

"Hi." She responded, like an echo.

"How are you?" She asked, shifting her weight uncomfortably. Seeing his face and hearing his voice again blew away that rain cloud that had been mercilessly been hovering over her head.

"I'm fine. And you?"

"Fine." Her piercing eyes brought back painfully wonderful memories. All those nights they snuck out to look at the moon together. Those lazy summer afternoons snuggling on the beach. Those duets where she hit every note in a way only _she_ could.

They stood there in silence for a few moments, each one knowing that there was nothing else they could say without hurting their pride. It killed them knowing that unless they were willing to put it all aside and start anew, nothing was going to change.

_I was headed to church  
I was off to drink you away  
I thought about you for a long time  
Can't seem to get you off my mind  
I can't understand why we're living life this way_

"So where are you going?" He asked, disappointed that he hadn't been able to say what he really felt.

"Church." She answered, nibbling on her lower lip. She needed a sanctuary. Somewhere she could be alone with her thoughts without really being alone. Plus, she got the chance to beg whatever higher being there was for an end to all this pain.

"You?"

"My friend and I were goin' to a bar..." He trailed off. He only went there so that the could drown his sorrows in which ever alcohol was strongest.

"Oh, well then I won't keep you." She said, beginning to walk off, her heels clicking against the sidewalk.

"Wait!" He called. His eyes softened when she turned to glance at him.

"Yes?"

"I...have a nice day." He mentally slapped himself. She nodded and returned the gesture. She continued, shaking her head. Why did every moment have to be so hard?

He let out a frustrated groan and turned on his heel.

"Everything okay?" His friend asked. He nodded and they made a turn, heading towards the bar. He couldn't stand the aching loneliness at the pit of his stomach.

_  
I found your picture today  
I swear I'll change my ways  
I just called to say I want you to come back home_

He opened the door to his room and threw the grocery sack he had been carrying down on the coffee table. He sat on his bed and ran his hand over his face. He looked to the side and saw a small turned over photograph on the dresser. He picked it up and saw her face. A constant reminder of the life he'd left behind.

He took out his cell phone and dialed the number he had engraved in his memory. He listened to it ring and wondered if he was doing the right thing.

_  
I found your picture today  
I swear I'll change my ways  
I just called to say I want you to come back home  
I just called to say, I love you come back home_

She walked into her room, wrapping her bathrobe tighter around herself. She looked down at the broken frame and picked it up with a sigh. She carefully pulled the photo out from under the glass and gently traced the line of his face. She shut her eyes to keep from crying.

She heard the phone ring, but she didn't pick it up. When she heard the mechanical voice drone the number of the caller, she gasped and scrambled for the phone. She sighed when she heard that beautiful voice say her name.

"Yes." She answered hesitantly.

"I need to tell you something." They said in unison.

"You go first."

"No, you go first." She insisted.

"I...I know I messed up, but I miss you." He said softly. She bit her lip as her eyes began to sting. An unsettling silence hung in the air.

"Come home." She finally pleaded. She was sure he could hear her voice crack.

"Of course. I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too." She said before hanging up. She let out a small, tearful laugh, wiping away the moisture that had collected on her cheek.


End file.
